Futures Rising as Jobless Claims Fall

By Avi Salzman

Jobless claims fell to 339,000 last week, their lowest level since February, even as economists had expected claims to rise slightly. Index futures were already trending higher, and the jobs news gave them an extra boost. The claims numbers may be misleading, however. “A Labor Department economist said one large state didn’t report additional quarterly figures as expected, accounting for a substantial part of the decrease,” the Wall Street Journal reported. The U.S. trade gap widened in August, although it was slightly narrower with China.

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